Case study: Lesley and Martin Baron

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Eagle-eyed readers will spot the surname of the couple featured in this case study matches that of our financial planner, Lance Baron. It’s no coincidence. Lesley and Martin are Lance’s parents, and they were among Tucana’s first major clients.

“That fact that Tucana is trusted to invest our own family money should give other clients confidence,” says Lance.

Lance’s first work in financial services was in partnership with his father under the name Baron Investments. There came a time when Lance wanted to move on, and he went to Thinc (later Bluefin) where he met the advisors who became Tucana’s co-founders, Geoff Matthews and Jonathan Mapp.

In 2003, Lesley and Martin sold the family home in Lingfield, and moved into a smaller house down the road that Lesley had inherited from her own parents. Lesley had sold her successful architecture and design practice, and Martin had retirement in mind. They wanted to know if they had enough money for both of them to give up work and maintain their lifestyle until their 90s.

What we did

Geoff explained our investment philosophy – that there’s no point in playing the market. Lesley agrees: “There is no doubt that this way of investing is the way forward.”

Lance remembers: “The savings my parents had built up were dotted around everywhere, in ISAs, pensions and property. They needed a financial plan including cashflow. So we simplified their affairs, and consolidated everything into a Transact wrapper.”

That was 2004. Since then, the stock market has gone up, down and up again. Meanwhile, Lesley and Martin have enjoyed the lifestyle they wanted. In fact, as their assets have grown, their capital has stayed level.

As with all our clients, we have meetings every four months to ensure everything is on track, and run in a proper, professional way.

Surviving the credit crunch

In 2007/8, the markets were “difficult”, but the couple stuck with the plan and their diverse investments successfully weathered the storm. In fact, their long-term return is about 5% per annum, without being in a high-risk portfolio. “We’ve made good money over the years,” confirms Lesley.

Martin explains: “Lance’s philosophy is to sit on your hands because the market will do whatever the market does, and logically, it will recover. The credit crunch had no dire effects on us at all.”

“I’m more cautious than Martin,” says Lesley, “But I can’t grumble as it’s all worked out over the long term and turned out absolutely fine.”

Why work with an expert

Lesley and Martin have friends who invest in property, or stocks and shares, who sometimes ask how their investments are getting on. “We tell them everything is fine, but that we prefer to leave it to the professionals.”

Lesley explains why it’s important to take expert advice. “In my business I believed that people do what people do best. No-one is a jack of all trades. Martin had the insight to go to a financial professional. That’s why we put our trust in Lance and his business partners.”

Of course, as Lance’s parents, you’d expect them to recommend him. Lesley concludes: “Our experience has been good. Why not arrange a meeting with Lance and see what he can do for you?”